Re-fueling nozzles



Dec. 27, 1960 J. A. JENSEN RE-FUELING NOZZLES Filed larch 17, 1958 3Sheets-Sheet 1 alla uvmvrom JamesAJJevwaL, BY

ATTORNEYS.

Dec. 27, 1960 Filed llarch 17, 1958 Her: 6

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3 Sheet-Sheet 3 INVENTOR. James/L Jensen,

ATTORNEYS.

United States Patent RE-FUELING NOZZLES James A. Jensen, Haverford, Pa.,assignor to Philadelphia Valve Company, Philadelphia, Pa., :1 firm FiledMar. 17, 1958, Ser. No. 721,886

Claims. (Cl. 137222) This invention relates to fluid dispensing nozzles.More particularly, it is concerned with dispensing nozzles of the typedisclosed in US. Patent No. 2,357,657 granted to me on September 5,1944, intended for use in re-fueling air planes, automobiles and thelike with gasoline or other combustible liquids delivered through a hosefrom a storage supply source. The patented nozzle was designed foroperation against pressures between 30 and 50 lbs. p.s.i., at whichpressures it was not difficult to open the nozzle, and closing thereoftook place automatically without attendant noise or shock.

In order to speed up re-fueli-ng of air planes, higher pressures up to100 or 156 lbs. p.s.i. are now being used. At these higher pressures,excessive effort had to be expended to open the nozzle as heretoforeconstructed, and closing was attended by severe shock and noise as wellas by strain upon the hose and other equipment.

The chief aim of my present invention is to overcome the above mentioneddrawbacks. This objective is realized in practice, as hereinafter morefully set forth, through improved construction of the interior of thenozzle for attainment of a balanced pressure condition about the mainvalve, after opening of the small auxiliary poppet valve to renderoperation of the nozzle very easy against the higher fluid pressures,and its closing to take place with minimized shock and/ or noise.

Other objects and attendant advantages will appear from the followingdetailed description of the attached drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 shows the nozzle of my present invention in side elevation withportions of its body broken out and in axial section, and with thevalves at the interior exposed and in open position.

Fig. 2 is a cross section taken as indicated by the angled arrows II-IIin Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view in axial section drawn to a larger scale,with the valves in closed position.

Figs. 4 and 5 are views similar to Fig. 3 respectively showing theinitial stage of opening the nozzle, and the nozzle fully open; and

Fig. 6 is a view similar in turn to Fig. 3 showing how closing of themain valve is retarded with avoidance of shock or noise.

As herein illustrated, my improved dispensing nozzle comprises a hollowbody 1 having a swivel connection 2 at its rear or entrant end forattachment to a delivery hose 3, and a connection 5 at its downwardlydirected frontal end for attachment of a discharge spout 6, the latterbeing provided with a cap 7 which is removably held in place by a chain8 subject to a contractile spring 9. Integral with the body 1 is a loop10 that provides a hand grasp 11 which is internally threaded at one endto receive the screw tip 12 at the end of a flexible grounding wire orcable 13. The nozzle is manually operable by means of a lever 15disposed within the opening of the grasp loop 10, said lever beingfulcrumed at 16 and having a finger projection 17 in engagement with theouter end of an actuating rod 18. As shown, the rod 18 passes icethrough a stutfing box 19 in the forward end of the body 1 and into theinterior of the latter. Insofar as described up to this point, theillustrated nozzle is generally similar to the one disclosed in thepatent hereinbefore referred to.

In accordance with my present invention there is fixedly disposedaxially within the hollow of the body 1 of the nozzle, with liberalsurrounding clearance to permit free flow of fluid thereabout when thenozzle is opened, is a dash pot 26. Extending transversely through arearward coned projection 21 of the dash pot 20 is a small duct 22 whichis counterbored at the top and there internally threaded for receptionof a small adjustable throttling valve 23 of the pin type. The slottedand threaded head of the throttling valve 23 is accessible foradjustment from the exterior by means of a screw driver upon removal ofa screw plug 24 from an opening in the wall of the body 1. As furthershown, the duct 22 is in communication with the interior of the dash pot20 by way of a small crosswise bleed orifice 25 in the back wall of saiddash pot. Surrounding the main flow port 26 at the front end of thenozzle body 1 is a beveled valve seat 27; and arranged to cooperate withsaid seat is a main valve disk 28 having a facing washer 30 of neopreneor other corrosion resistant material, the diameter of the disk beingsubstantially equal to the outside diameter of the dash pot 20. The disk28 is formed with a small forwardly projection threaded boss 31, and thefacing washer 30 is held in place by a clamp element 32 screw engagedupon said boss. The clamp element 32 has a hollow forwardly projectinghub 33 through which the actuating rod 18 passes with a slide fit, and aforwardly beveled peripheral flange 34 which is slightly smaller indiameter than the port 26 and which projects into said port when thevalve is closed as in Fig. 3. For a purpose later on explained, the hub33 of the clamp element 32 is provided with a plurality ofcircumferentially-arranged apertures 35, see Fig. 2. integrally formedwith the valve disk 28 and extending rearwardly therefrom is a hollowcylindric portion 36 with a terminal head 37 to serve as a piston withinthe dash port 20, said head being of a diameter slightly less than thatof said disk, and being peripherally grooved for lodgement of a packingring 38 and provided with a bleed orifice 39. It is to be noted that thehollow portion 36 is united with the disk 28 by a narrow neck 40. As aconsequence of this construction, it will be seen that the frontal areas36a and 37a of the extension 36 and of the piston 37, taken together,substantially equal the back face area of the valve disk 28.

Arranged to cooperate with a beveled seat 45 surrounding the inner endof the axial bore 46 of the boss 31 of the main valve disk 28 and theneck 40 is a small auxiliary poppet valve 47 of Teflon orthe like whichis engaged about the diametrically reduced inner end portion 48 of thestem. The poppet valve 47 is backed, for maintenance in engagement withthe shoulder 49 of the stem 18, by a threaded Washer 50, the latterserving as an abutment for one end of a helical spring 51 whereof theother end bears against the back wall of the dash pot 20. To assist inthe guidance of the actuating stem 18, the diametrically reduced innerend portion 48 thereof is slidingly engaged in a boss 52 projectingforwardly from the back of the dash pot 20. The actuating rod 18 alsohas a collar 53 thereon which, after the poppet valve 47 is opened as inFig. 4, is adapted to engage the front end of the boss 33 of the clampelement 32 to open the main valve 28 as presently explained.

Normally, with the nozzle closed as in Fig. 3, the interior of the dashpot 20 is filled and the piston 37 subjected to the full pressure of theliquid in the hose 3 and to that of the spring 51, as is also the mainvalve disk 28 which latter is thus firmly maintained in engagement withthe seat 27 around the outlet port 26.

Operation With the nozzle held in one hand by the grasp 11, theactuating lever is raised from the normal position in which it isindicated in dot and dash lines in Fig. 1, and the actuating rod 18thereby moved inwardly or to the right. As this movement of the rod 18is initiated, the small poppet valve 47 is displaced from its seat 45against the resistance of the spring 51 as in Fig. 4, with attendantflow of the pressurized liquid, by way of the duct 22 and aperture 25and the bleed port 39 in the piston 37, into the dash pct and fromthence, by way of the bore 46 in the boss of the main valve 28 and theapertures 35 in the hub 32 of the clamp element 32, into the outlet 5 ofthe nozzle. Due to the greater areas of passages 46 and 35, the liquidescapes faster from the interior of the dash pct 20 than it enters byway of the duct 22 and the bleed port 39 in the piston, the pressure ofthe liquid upon the back of said piston being thus greatly reduced. Abalanced condition is thus created so that very little effort isrequired to open the main valve 28 as the collar 53 on the rod 18eventually engages the element 32 during further inward movement of saidrod. The valve 28 is eventually stopped in its full open position byengagement with the front end of the dash pct 20 as shown in Figs. 1 and5.

Upon release of the actuating lever 15, the spring 51, in reacting,first forces the poppet valve 47 to closed position and thereafter urgesthe piston 37 outwardly of the dash pot 20 with attendant creation of avacuum within the latter. By action of the vacuum, liquid is very slowlydrawn into the dash pot 20 by way of duct 22 and the bleed port 39 inthe piston 37, thereby restraining the spring 51 and preventing rapidapproach of the valve 28 toward its seat 27. As the valve 28 nears theseat 27, the flange 34 of the element 32, in re-entering the port 26,gradually restricts flow of the liquid into the outlet 5 of the nozzleas shown in Fig. 6 until the valve 28 is fully closed. Due to theretarding effect of the dash pot 20 and the outflow regulating effect ofthe flange 34, it will be seen that the valve 28 will automaticallyclose smoothly without attendant slap, shock or noise.

The speed at which the valve 28 closes is regulatable by adjusting theneedle 23 to increase or decrease the rate of inward flow of the liquidthrough the duct 22 and, passage as will be readily understood from Fig.6. This adjustment can be accomplished quickly and easily upon removalof the plug 24, and is advantageous in that it makes possible theadaptation of the nozzle for easy operation against high liquidpressures of different magnitudes. Slowest closing movement of the valve28 will take place, obviously, when the needle 23 is adjusted tocompletely close the duct 22, influx of the liquid into the interior ofthe dash pct 20 being thereby restricted to the port 39 in the piston37.

While the preferred embodiment of this invention has been described insome detail, it will be obvious to one skilled in the art that variousmodifications may be made without departing from the invention ashereinafter claimed.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A nozzle, for dispensing fluids under high pressure, having a hollowbody with an outlet at one end terminating in a discharge spout and aconnection at the other end for a delivery hose, a dash pot fixedlydisposed, with liberal flow clearance thereabout, within the body andhaving a bleed orifice through the back thereof, a discous valve adaptedto cooperate with an annular seat surrounding a port in the front end ofthe body, the diameter of the valve corresponding to the outsidediameter of the dash pot, a piston operable within the dash pot, saidpiston having a diametrically reduced hollow axial forward extensionfixedly connected by a still smaller neck to the valve, the front facearea of the piston head and said extension together aggregating the backface area of the valve and said piston head being provided with atransverse bleed aperture; yielding means within the dash pot operativeto maintain the valve normally in engagement with its seat; andactuating means accessible at the exterior of the body for moving thevalve from its seat against the pressure of the yielding means, theopening movement of said valve being limited by engagement thereof withthe open end of the dash pot.

2. A dispensing nozzle characterized as in claim 1, further including anadjustable needle valve for throttling the bleed orifice in the back ofthe dash pot; and a plug in the wall of the body of the nozzle capableof removal for access to the needle valve from the exterior.

3. A dispensing nozzle characterized as in claim 1, further including asmall poppet valve disposed in the diametrically reduced hollowextension of the piston head and adapted to cooperate with an annularseat at the rear end of an axial bore in the main valve; wherein theyielding means is in the form of a coiled spring in compression betweenthe poppet valve and the back Wall of the dash pot; and wherein theactuating means includes a rod to which the poppet valve element issecured, said rod passing through a stuffing box in the wall of thenozzle body and with clearance thereabout, through the axial bore in themain valve, and said rod having a collar to engage the first valve andmove it to open position after the poppet valve has been displaced fromits seat.

4. The invention according to claim 3, wherein the main valve has asmall forwardly projecting threaded axial boss; wherein a non-metallicdisk is secured to the face of the main valve by a clamp element screwedonto the boss of the main valve, said element having a hollow hubthrough which the actuating rod passes with a slide fit, and a forwardlyprojecting peripheral flange slightly smaller in diameter than the portfor the main valve and normally extending part way into said port, andthe hub of said clamp element having a series of annularly arranged flowapertures therein.

5. The invention accord-ing to claim 3, wherein the inner end of theactuating rod is slidingly guided in an axially bored boss extendingforwardly from the back wall of the dash pot.

' References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,031,294 Schutte July 2, 1912 2,357,657 Jensen Sept. 5, 1944 2,630,137Krone Mar. 3, 1953 2,698,158 Granberg Dec. 28, 1954 2,843,148 RymillsJuly 15, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS 159,093 Germany of 1940

